


Dark Days

by Rozuna



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Black Mirror AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-17 01:42:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9298640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rozuna/pseuds/Rozuna
Summary: Advanced virtual reality provides an escape for an ill Delphine and a certain cheeky girl with a bright grin might just help her realize a world beyond a hospital room.An AU fic loosely based on the Black Mirror episode San Junipero.





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so it's like nearing 3am or 4am (time's confusing man), I've never posted a fan fic before and this unholy mess has barely been proofread. Idk if someone likes this I might continue it. Work title from the Local Natives song Dark Days.

Delphine opened her eyes and for once she felt everything and nothing. She stood in a bustling night strip lit only by garish neon signs and its reflections painted on the glistening asphalt.

There was so much colour, she had never been surrounded by anything more than clinical whites and the occasional coloured curtain. Water droplets stuck to her exposed arms like beads of glass and it fascinated her immensely. Rain did not fall in the hospital rooms she had spent her life in.

Looking to her dim surroundings, further down from where she stood a couple appeared to be having an argument. A girl with a streaked bob was pleading with a shorter girl in a red coat. She examined the latter, her hands bounced around in sync with a mess of curly brunette hair as if to explain something as obvious as the universe itself.

With a few final frenzied hand gestures, the petite stranger takes off in the direction of a nightclub, leaving her friend? Lover? Delphine could not tell. She also did not know if following the brunette would be considered strange but curiosity won over her doubts.

The nightclub was crowded and, despite the incredibly high ceilings, the unfamiliar swarm was far more people she ever thought could even inhabit a single space. “ _Merde_ ,” she breathed out after managing to reach an empty booth along the wall, running a hand through her hair as she reclined into the faux leather seat.

Surveying the sea of dancers with outdated outfits, a pair of deep amber eyes met hers. The curly haired stranger was bouncing towards her before pacing with a look of being in a predicament. She no longer wore her coat, rather an intricately patterned sweater lifted up as she put her hands on her head.

Spinning quick on her heels the girl came and sat directly next to her. “Hey so I um have this situation and it would be great if you could like just follow whatever I say ‘kay?” She pleaded to Delphine with wavering eyes, the blonde responded with a curt “quoi?”

But the stranger was no longer listening as the companion from her earlier argument was standing in front of their shared booth. “What are you doing here Emi?” the brunette asks the girl before them. “We had something Cosima, we-“ Emi starts, “Bullshit,” Cosima states rolling her eyes.

“They paid you to and you damn well know it. Also if you having noticed I’m trying to catch up with a friend here,” Cosima gestures to the blonde “she’s French and dying from the world’s like rarest disease.” Turning to her Cosima gives her an encouraging grin as if to signal her to say something.

“Yes it’s er _très aggressif_.” She answers, agreeing to the unfolding fabrication Cosima is conjuring. “Yeah so months to live, etc. etc. so if you could like rack off that’d be great.” With Cosima’s obvious distain for Emi’s presence, Emi nods before saying “there’s not much time left Cosima” then disappearing into the crowd.

Once she’s firmly out of sight, Cosima turns to Delphine with widest grin she’d ever seen. “That was freaking awesome!” She beams at the blonde with adoration. “Oh non, it was nothing,” shyly shaking her dipped head, “oh come on you were like _trees aggresseef_ , did you her see her face? Priceless honestly.”

“Okay that was pretty good.” They stare at each other in a moment of silence.“I’m Cosima,” she says extending her hand, “but you already know that I’m guessing. Never know, I'm sure this place messes with your short term memory.” She adds with a tap to her temple with her free hand.

“Delphine,” the blonde says taking Cosima’s hand, “enchantèe” she greets to which Cosima repeats back emphatically. “And non Co-si-ma I do not have this shortened memory,” she states and Cosima laughs as she raises her hands in surrender, “hey just looking out for a newbie.”

An awkward silence settles between them and Delphine could not think of a time where anything in her life had ever been this chaotic. _'_ _And I've almost died,'_ she thought to her self. "So do you want to get a drink?" The sound of Cosima's voice jolts Delphine from her thoughts, "drink?" She asks confused.

"You sure about that whole 'my memory is totally fine' thing?" Cosima asks with a raised eyebrow. "Oui, I am certain," she confirms as Cosima grabs her hand, "awesome let's go!" And Delphine thinks that maybe chaotic isn't so bad after all.


	2. Just Once

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow so I severely underestimated how many people would be down for this, thanks for giving me all this extra work guys (jk you're all awesome.)  
> Just gonna mention some stuff, I don't see this being more than like maybe 8 chapters? I'm starting my final year of school in a few weeks so I'm hoping I'll finish before then idk I guess we'll see. Hope y'all like this chapter.

Cosima thought it was too good to be true. The monitoring, the testing, her literal ownership. It was all gone, relinquished by those who designed it. She wanted to believe, truly, that they had finally found some form of empathy and for a long time she did.

But with her former monitor trying to tell her how she wants to make amends, every doubt she had quashed any thought the multiple page agreement was anything more than just the paper it was printed on. They stood in the rain, Cosima was barely listening to Emi’s speech, considering unplugging right there and then.

“I’m sorry for all the lies but I cared about you Cosima! I didn’t just pretend for the money,” Emi pleads, her features illuminated by the neon lights. “What was it for then? So you could tell your grandkids about the time you fucked a clone?” Cosima spits with venom before storming off.

“So you’re just going to die for nothing? They’re not the enemy Cosima. I know you never accepted that you couldn’t save yourself or your sisters.” Emi shouts back and Cosima stills at her words, anger bubbling through her veins.

“Fuck you Emi. You have no fucking idea about my sisters.” She couldn’t move faster to get away from her. Losing herself to the crowded club she tries to forget about the ghost from her past and having quickly downed several shots, Cosima was beginning to feel like perhaps the night could be saved.

Until her eyes locked with Emi once again moving toward her and she instantly felt sick. Spotting a booth with a stunning blonde girl sitting alone, she decided she’d use her as some kind of cover story. “Well here goes nothing,” she whispers to herself just prior to taking the seat next to the beautiful stranger.

\---

“How did you know I was new here?” Delphine asked Cosima, having moved to the bar she was unsure if she was more intrigued by the bottles behind the bar (who knew there were so many different kinds of alcohol?) or by the small girl sitting next to her.

“Oh just a guess, usually the new guys all have this look like a stunned puppy,” Cosima made ears with her hands and widened her eyes, earning a laugh from Delphine. “Hm so I’m a puppy with the world’s rarest disease and months to live,” she replies while staring into her drink.

“Yeah uh sorry for kind of killing you,” Cosima fake apologizes. “Oh non, non it’s fine, that girl was clearly causing you strife.” Delphine responds as she looks back to Cosima. “Thanks for going along with all that, it means a lot.” The blonde smiles, “it was nothing.”

Cosima looks like she’s about to say something but is distracted by the new music track permeating the room. “Oh my god this is my song, come on we’ve gotta dance!” “Non Cosima, I don’t do dancefloors.”

“I’ll guide you, don’t make me tug your leash puppy!” “I am not,” Delphine starts but Cosima is already backing away, “I’m not a puppy.” She states, arms raised.

After observing Cosima from the bar for a few moments she rashly joins her. Before her mind can register it, Cosima’s hands are in Delphine’s, the feeling of which could only be described as electric. At first, all she could focus on was the small brunette with curls bouncing around as she showed her the moves.

Every part of her small body moved like fluid, one with the beat of the music that sung something about water. She could never get sick of seeing her smile at her and look up at her with those deep brown eyes. Another body bumped into Delphine pulling her out of her haze and quickly realised she was in the midst of a crowd.

Panic quickly consuming her, she makes some form of audible apology to Cosima before running off to the nearest exit. The rain had gotten heavier as the night progressed and a large puddle encompassed her feet but she was far too distracted to care.

Footsteps alerted Delphine to Cosima’s presence as she sniffed and wiped the tears threatening to add to the already soaked ground. “Hey, you okay?” Cosima asks as she looks at her with concern. “More than okay actually,” Delphine replies and it was the truth. She really had never been this okay, this alive.  

“Do the French have different meaning for okay because you sure don’t look like it.” Delphine grins at her quip and shakes her head. “You know I’ve never been on a dance floor before. I panicked, there were so many people.”

“Never? What, were you raised by religious zealots or something?” “Non it’s um _compliquè,_ ” Delphine explains. They sit in silence until Cosima pulls out an already lit joint from thin air and takes a long drag. “Want a hit?” Cosima offers. “Oh no I should really be going,” Delphine explains, stepping away from the small brunette.

“What are you talking about? It’s almost midnight,” Cosima questions, clearly confused. “Stay?” No one had ever asked her that before, after all she had never been able to be the one to leave. It was such a simple request and one which Delphine could not reject. “Hm, okay but don’t think I’m going to obey all your commands,” she jokes with a grin.

“You’re a terrible puppy.” Cosima states with a pout and Delphine’s laugh is the last thing the two of them hear before being pulled from the world.

_\---_

Cosima pulled the device from her temple grinning ear to ear with Helix, her white and grey spotted cat, dozing happily on her lap. “Thanks for not knocking out my cannula this time dude,” she tells him and he purrs in response.

Looking at the time, Cosima jumps up from her seat, earning a loud protest from Helix. “Oh shit!” She exclaims, she was meant to call Sarah half an hour ago. Scrambling to find her laptop, quickly booting it up and as soon as she has skype open she begins the call.

“Hey I ah got caught up,” she says to the screen showing her spitting image in a very different form.  “Sure ‘caught up,’ who’s got you grinning like that?” Asks Sarah with a smirk. “Only my favourite ex interrupting my night and Leekie screwing me over,” Cosima deadpans, she was used to Sarah’s teasing.

“Haha very funny Cos, the truth now?” “Sarah that was the truth, there was a French blonde after that but can we discuss how their promises were complete bullshit?” Cosima asks, clearly irritated. “This is DYAD Cos, of course it was horseshit, we all knew that.” Sarah states, Cosima rolling her eyes.

“I know but I just wanted to think they wouldn’t try again.” She reclines, pulling off her glasses and rubbing her eyes. “Look Cos it’s not ideal but at least you’re not trapped in their prison of an institute. Besides at least they haven’t gotten to Helix yet yeah?” Sarah jokes and Cosima stifles a laugh. “Now come on tell me about this Frenchie.”


	3. Little Things

Delphine never considered her life particularly miserable. Dull, perhaps, to an observer, although she could not agree with that assessment. She was never lonely, rarely bored, and always cared for in every way possible. The way it had almost always been, she found it hard to miss what she had barely had at all.

It was a clear, sunny day and the nurse moved her bed near the ceiling to floor windows so she could look out across the people going about their days. An audiobook played over the room’s speakers, the narrator talking of a man making coin tricks and travelling with a mysterious man. Bedside machines made a low hum as they kept blood moving through her body while pigeons chirped in what seemed like an infinite loop on the other side of the glass.

Her family video called her most days from France, they always talked about the same things. Maman went on about work and two of her colleagues she was so sure were dating. Her brother went on about his restaurant and how his children were growing up. Père spoke little about anything really, he always seemed to mourn Delphine’s future more than anyone else. Ever since the diagnosis it was hard to communicate with him, Maman having to act as an intermediary most of the time.

Delphine listened to her family’s stories hardly adding to the conversion, mostly due to her hatred of the communication interface. It didn’t sound like her, it was a slaughtered version of her voice, lacking emphasis or emotion. When Delphine did talk about herself it was usually about the book she had been listening to or an out of context piece of gossip from one of the nurses even though she cared little for it.

Today Maman was chattering on about the local butcher, “you know? the one we went to when you were younger,” and how it was so tragic that it was closing. Delphine knew of this small blonde girl who thought the butcher killed animals behind the polished silver doors and was petrified of the place because of it.

However, she could not bring herself to have any connection to it, none of what was before seemed real, it could have happened to somebody else. _‘But Cosima didn’t happen to somebody else,’_  smiling at the thought Delphine was so detached from the conversion she had barely noticed that the call had ended and the room was mostly silent yet again. Looking at the time, she requested the nurse for assistance and was soon drifting off into the other world.

\---

Cosima hates alarms. History was never made before noon in her opinion and the societal construct that productivity meant waking up near the break of dawn could burn in hell for all she cared.

Today she would visit, without invitation, to what was her former lab. _'It still is my goddamn lab,'_ she told herself, it was in great hands with Scott but she can’t help but feel she had forsaken her firstborn handing it over. She still had a working keycard, albeit a spare snatched from a lab coat the last time she had been there.

Pulling the large spotted mass that was actually a very disgruntled Helix from her chest as she lifted herself from her favourite place to be at 8am. Ensuring her cannula was in position she pulled her oxygen tank with her as she sluggishly began to move.

Opening the curtains to her rabbit hole of an apartment, people milled about the streets albeit slouched, displeased surely by the fact that it was a Monday and the fact the temperature was in the negatives. She briefly wondered where Delphine was on this day, or perhaps it was still night for her.

Pigeons danced happily on the ledge protruding from the building, Helix moved stealthily to sit on the windowsill to stare them down. After showering and getting dressed Helix was still by the window but the Pigeons were long gone, instead he stared into empty space. He turned with a questioning “meeerp” before barrelling into her arms and gave him some scratches behind the ear before placing him back on the ground, trying to focus on actually leaving the place at all.

Her hands shook trying to apply her thick black eyeliner and she grew more and more frustrated. She had this down to a perfected art once,  _'it was meant to be simple'_ , she thought, _'why couldn’t anything be simple.'_ Throwing the bottle of black liquid into the small sink out of rage, the leaking container began to create intricate swirls in the basin. Cosima observed the behaviour of the interacting liquids as if looking upon cells through a microscope.

It was the little things Cosima was sure she’d miss more than anything. She would miss the ratios and rules of the universe found from DNA to galaxies and shells to the liquid she was looking at right now, heartbeats and warmth to burning pain and biting cold. A sharp meow pulled Cosima from her thoughts, Helix tipped his large head to the side and looked up at her longingly.

“Hey you know I won’t leave without you,” pulling him up onto her shoulder, he purred and rubbed her hair in appreciation. Walking around with a cat on her shoulder always drew some odd looks. When she wasn’t allowed to smoke pot anymore it had turned out Helix was the next best thing.  “Patting cats release the same chemicals as THC,” Cosima explained to an extremely skeptical Sarah. She had commented “at least with pot you don’t have to carry around a four pound asshole,” to which Cosima terminated the call.

Cosima loved walking the distance to the lab she helped create but instead she had to take a cab. The little things, she pondered as the cab pulled up to the curb. At the sight of Helix the cab driver was about to protest until Cosima passed the certification over with the short explanation she had become proficient in quickly reciting.

Pushing into the lab lazily slapping her keycard onto the scanner with an affirmative beep announcing her arrival. Scott was pipetting as Cosima stumbled into the lab. Hardly state of the art, the lab was small, the clinical whites and lighting making it seem larger than it was. “What are you doing here Cosima? You should be resting, are you sick-“ Cosima quickly cuts of his questioning with a wave of her left hand.

“I wanted to, no and yes but I’ve made it this far so not dying today.” She waved again adding, “probably,” dropping herself heavily on a chair. “Cosima we’re handling this you don’t need to strain yourself,” Scott protests, “I just came to say hi.” “And you have low functioning lungs you don’t need the stress.” “I think Helix is offended by your implication he’s not doing his job.” Scott looks at the large ball currently curled on her lap with a deep sigh.

“Fine but he has to go in his in his pen, I’m not explaining to the PhD board why we need a new set of beakers again.” Helix sounded his disagreement at the sound of pen, yowling loudly, but Cosima did as Scott asked. “Tell me about the uh new vectors and stem cell lines,” rolling her hands for emphasis. He went on for more than an hour on all the new factors of the research into the clones' shared disease.

Nearing the end he began to turn pale and Cosima knew what he was gearing up to say. “I know there’s not enough time for me,” Cosima admits and Scott’s face drops. “I guessed,” she lies. She went through their files months ago when she came in for a blood sample and it was clear even then. Stem cell lines weren’t working. Genetic vectors would be a year away. She had half that.

“It’s not just for me you know,” she said turning to Scott, he already had tears falling, “it’s for all of us. This twisted bullshit would have killed us all but it won’t now.” “Have you told them?” “Yeah,” in reality she hadn’t but Sarah had that look in her eye and Alison pretended to be blissfully optimistic. “And about your decision?” Cosima fell silent, head falling to focus in her lap.

Helix’s protesting and scratching at the door of his pen filled the space. “Cosima,” Scott drawing out the vowels as swiftly she moved to leave. “We’re NOT having this conversation,” letting Helix out of his pen and swooping him up. “Goodbye Scott.” “Cosima. Cosima wait! You need to-“ but the door clicked and Scott was once again alone. “Tell them.” He exasperatedly finished to the back of the door.

“Fucking bullshit,” Cosima muttered falling back on her bed, fumbling for her VR node as Helix looked at her with what could be considered concern but was more likely confusion at his owner’s behaviour. “They can’t tell what to do with my life Helix can they? It’s my mind, my biology,” Cosima mused to an uninterested Helix who was already beginning to doze off at the end of the bed. Having been fiddling with the device in her hand, she finally plugged the device to her temple, relaxing as true reality slipped away.

\---

“Merde!” Delphine exclaimed after trying on yet another outfit and pouting at her reflection, she’s sure she’s changed fifty times and nothing feel like it was her. After a lifetime of hospital gowns she never really gave it much thought but now was different, she had someone to want to impress and it was exhilarating. After some more deliberating, Delphine chose a denim jacket with a simple white tank top and black jeans.

Finding the small girl was easy on the clear evening, the night was young and there were only a few souls milling about the dance floor. Lounging in one of the club’s booths, the brunette was enthralled with a leather bound book. Delphine sat and observed her, the girl tended to make hand motions as if she were debating with herself about the book’s content all the while making trails of smoke twirled in the air from yet another joint held between her fingers.

Unbeknownst to Cosima, a stumbling man sat opposite to her, expecting to get her attention. An odd pang went through Delphine’s chest and felt jealous of this man who was able approach her, despite the fact he seemed to be blind drunk already. With the brunette still ignoring (or being unaware, Delphine was not sure) the stranger pulled the book from Cosima’s hands and began to slur a string of words together, “you knooow it’s not nice to IGNORE people when they say HELLO.”

The small girl looked up extremely puzzled, tilting her head, looking longingly at the book now trapped in the man’s sticky fingers. “Isn’t it rude to expect someone wants to spend their time with you?” Cosima deadpans which only aggravates the stranger. Something clicked in Delphine’s mind and no longer was she afraid, her legs moving on their own to intervene in the situation.

“Pardon, do you mind?” She says to the man trying to stay upright, Cosima was stunned at the appearance of the blonde. “Oooh French I like that. I could butter you up like toast.” Delphine was unamused. “Get it, like French toast?” Cosima groaned behind them. “I think you need to go,” Delphine lightly shoved him but the force made the unsteady stranger fall dramatically backwards.

“Oh merde!” She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as Cosima cackled at the sight of the now fast asleep man lying on the floor. “Well you sure know how to make a first and second impression,” Cosima was gleaming at her but all Delphine could do was gape in shock.

Bouncing up and swooping up her book from the floor, the brunette rubbed it with her sleeve. “Hey again,” Cosima was standing in front of her now, a simple “bonjour” was all Delphine could manage. “How about we get out of here?” Her hands slipped into her own once again and a curt nod was all Cosima needed before they were running out of the club and into the twilight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowee it’s been awhile, I’m super sorry for the wait, I cut this chapter short just so I could give y’all something because I couldn’t rewrite into forever. If you’re wondering about Delphine’s audiobook she was listening to American Gods by Neil Gaiman and it is an amazing read fyi. Also if you want to you can hit me up at rozunadraws on tumblr because that's a thing.


End file.
